To guide One Health capacity building efforts in the Republic of Guinea in the wake of the 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, we sough...t to identify and assess the existing systems and structures for zoonotic disease detection and control. We partnered with the government ministries responsible for human, animal, and environmental health to identify a list of zoonotic diseases – rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, trypanosomiasis and highly pathogenic avian influenza – as the country's top priorities. We used each priority disease as a case study to identify existing processes for prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, laboratory confirmation, reporting and response across the three ministries. Results were used to produce disease-specific systems “maps” emphasizing linkages across the systems, as well as opportunities for improvement. We identified brucellosis as a particularly neglected condition. Past efforts to build avian influenza capabilities, which had degraded substantially in less than a decade, highlighted the challenge of sustainability. We observed a keen interest across sectors to reinvigorate national rabies control, and given the regional and global support for One Health approaches to rabies elimination, rabies could serve as an ideal disease to test incipient One Health coordination mechanisms and procedures. Overall, we identified five major categories of gaps and challenges: (1) Coordination; (2) Training; (3) Infrastructure; (4) Public Awareness; and (5) Research. We developed and prioritized recommendations to address the gaps, estimated the level of resource investment needed, and estimated a timeline for implementation. These prioritized recommendations can be used by the Government of Guinea to plan strategically for future One Health efforts, ideally under the auspices of the national One Health Platform. This work demonstrates an effective methodology for mapping systems and structures for zoonotic diseases, and the benefit of conducting a baseline review of systemic capabilities prior to embarking on capacity building efforts.
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The checklist is aligned with, and builds upon, existing COVID-19-related WHO guidelines and is structured around protective measures related to: 1) hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette; 2) physical distancing; 3) use of masks in schools; 4) envir...onmental cleaning and ventilation; and 5) respecting procedures for isolation of all people with symptoms. The checklist is designed to support policy-makers, staff and officials from the education and health sectors, local authorities, school principals/leaders and administrators, teachers’ unions, community leaders, school staff, teachers, parents and caregivers.
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2017-2018
Republic of Albania
Diabetes is a major public health problem. The rising incidence of Diabetes Type 2 is related to the effects ...dbox">of urbanization and unhealthy lifestyles. Research studies show that healthy eating and regular physical activity can prevent or delay the onset of Diabetes Type 2, even in high-risk individuals.
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Early detection, assessment and response to acute public health events:
Epidemic meningitis is a major public health challenge in the African 'meningitis belt', an area that extends from Senegal to Ethiopia with an estimated total population ...ghlight medbox">of 500 million. Since 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with its collaborating centres for meningitis, has progressively supported countries in implementing a strategy of ES for meningitis. The strategy is the recommended standard for all countries of the Belt and it is now actively being implemented at different levels in all countries.
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Following the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on antimicrobial resistance held in September 2016 which called for national, regional and international political commitment to address t...he issue, member countries agreed on the importance of moving forward to develop national action plans by May 2017.
Iraq; represented by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA); responded by developing a comprehensive plan to control AMR by analysing the current situation of health, veterinary and environment and determining the strategic priorities for Iraq, which are in accordance with the WHO Global Action Plan objectives
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This document provides a generic model that can be used for risk assessment of exposure to insecticide products applied as indoor residual sprays. It aims to harmonize the risk assessment of such in...secticides for public health use in order to generate comparable data for their registering and labelling by national regulatory authorities. The assessment considers both adults and children (all age groups) as well as people in the following specific categories:
- those preparing the spray;
- those applying the spray;
- residents living in the treated houses;
- residents who participate in preparing and applying insecticides.
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Viral hepatitis is defined as inflammation of the liver cells due to viral infection. The burden of liver disease in South Africa is mostly underestimated as viral hepatitis, in particular chronic i...nfection, is a silent and neglected cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the burden of disease is likely substantial given the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis. This burden is further compounded by the lack of screening and access to care and treatment as well as inadequate disease surveillance, human and financial resources.
The National Guidelines for the Management of Viral Hepatitis were developed, with the purpose to:
inform healthcare workers in the public and private sectors about the disease, its epidemiology in South Africa and current methods of diagnosis and therapy
strengthen the healthcare response to viral hepatitis
empower communicable diseases workers and stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding appropriate and cost effective interventions
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This checklist is for any organization or person supporting the routine use of evidence in
the process of policy-making. Evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) is essential for achieving the Sustai...nable Development Goals (SDGs) and universal health coverage (UHC). Its importance is emphasized in WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of
Work 2019–2023 (GPW13). This checklist was developed by the WHO Secretariat of Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) to assist its Member countries in institutionalizing EIPM. Government agencies (i.e. the staff of the Ministry of Health),
knowledge intermediaries and researchers focused on strengthening EIPM will find in this checklist some key steps and tools to help their work. While the health sector is a key target group for EVIPNet, this tool can be applied by stakeholders from
different social sectors
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The strategic plan reflects shared commitments to enhance collaboration between environmental, animal (wildlife and domestic) and human health, and building new One Health workforce capacity through... higher institutions of learning. The strategy also outlines interventions to be undertaken by government institutions and other partners to enhance existing structures and pool together additional resources to prevent and control zoonotic diseases and other events of public health importance. Successful implementation of the strategy will contribute to the realization of vision 2020 by improving public health, food safety and security, and hence significantly improve the socioeconomic status of the people of Rwanda. It is in this regard that we call upon implementing institutions, bilateral and multilateral partners, civil society and the private sector to join us in implementing the One Health strategy in Rwanda.
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Snakebite is an acute life threatening time limiting medical emergency. It is a preventable public
health hazard often faced by rural population in tropical and subtropical countries with heavy
ra...infall and humid climate.
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This National Health Policy has 5 objectives, namely
i. To strengthen the healthcare delivery system to be resilient
ii. To encourage the adoption of...pan> healthy lifestyles
iii. To improve the physical environment
iv. To improve the socio-economic status of the population
v. To ensure sustainable financing for health
These objectives shall collectively ensure that there will be improved alignment, complementarity and synergies within and across all public sector ministries as well as with other stakeholders, towards achieving the national health goal.
The policy shall therefore ensure that MDAs and other identifiable organizations work within the principles of the Health-in-All Policy and the One-Health Policy frameworks (WHO), to achieve the desired healthy life status of people living in Ghana.
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Yaws is a disfiguring non-venereal disease caused by infection with the spirochaete. Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue which is closely related to the causative agent of syphilis and those of t...he other endemic treponematoses, bejel and pinta. The disease is endemic in certain areas of the World Health Organization (WHO) African, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions. Of the neglected tropical diseases identified for elimination and eradication, yaws is one of two diseases targeted for eradication. In 1949, the Second World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA2.36, which addresses yaws, bejel and pinta as major public health problems that need attention.
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This field study to assess the pharmaceutical situation was undertaken in Ghana in May-June 2008 using a standardized methodology developed by the World Health Organization. The study assessed medicines availability and affor...dability, geographical accessibility, quality and rational use among other issues. The survey was conducted in six regions. In each region, 6 public health care facilities, 12 private pharmacies and 1 warehouse were surveyed.
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Drinking-water quality regulations and standards developed or revised in accordance with this guidance will reflect the best practices identified in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality to most effectively protect public ...ute-to-highlight medbox">health. Moreover, the regulations and standards will consider local needs, priorities and capacities to ensure that they are realistic and appropriate. Topics covered include:
- Guiding principles
- Getting started
- Selecting parameters and parameter limits
- Setting out compliance monitoring requirements
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This field study to measure access to and use of medicines was undertaken in GHANA in May-June 2008. The study assessed information on the socio-economic level of households,... and access to and use of medicines for acute and chronic conditions as well as opinions and perceptions about medicines. The survey was conducted in six regions. In each region, six reference public heath care facilities were selected among those participating in the Level II Facility Survey that was carried out in parallel. Within defined distances from each reference public health care facility, households were selected by purposive cluster sampling. A total of 1065 household respondents were interviewed by means of a structured paper questionnaire
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Nepal has only recently started its journey on the path to an integrated response to the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Despite this, it is notable that the Nepal Health Sector Strateg...y Plan (HSSP)-2 mentions growing antibiotic resistanceas a public health challenge.
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Abridged version. In this abridged version of the Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Follow-Up of at-risk neonates, we provide recommendations for the care ...-highlight medbox">of newborns up to 2 years of age, corresponding to the first phase of their follow-up. The recommendations are intended for all health sector staff responsible for the primary care of these neonates: general practitioners, family practitioners, pediatricians, neonatologists, pediatric ophthalmologists, pediatric otolaryngologists, nursing professionals, specialists in other fields, and multidisciplinary staff involved in the care process. The purpose of these guidelines is to facilitate policy implementation processes carried out by decision-makers and members of government bodies, and will also be useful for parents, mothers, and caregivers. The main topics covered by this document include the hospital discharge criteria, including screening tests; information and support for parents, mothers, and caregivers; screening at the follow-up visit, and the frequency of follow-ups until the infant is 2 years of age. These guidelines do not address matters related to nursing or comorbidities.
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